Pacers Finish Gentlemen's Sweep Of Magic, Become First East Team To Advance

Stan Van Gundy Wants To Return To Magic, But Doesn't Give 'A Damn' About Speculation

Stan Van Gundy's status as head coach of the Orlando Magic has been up in the air for quite awhile, fair or not, due to his relationship with Dwight Howard among other things. It seems that whether the affable coach returns to Orlando's sidelines next year will be a hot topic going forward.

For the time being, though, Van Gundy says he isn't worried about what happens next. The best part is that he addressed the questions surrounding his future in the most SVG way possible.

"I want to come back, but that's not up to me," Van Gundy told reporters at the press conference following his team's loss in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. "As far as the speculation, I would say the same thing I've been saying all year: Who gives a damn?

"They'll make a decision when they make a decision. I'm not going to worry about it, I'll tell you that."

His attitude regarding the future seems a bit out there, but it's become par for the course, as he's been jerked around the last couple of seasons in Orlando. The always-excellent David Aldridge went into a bit of detail regarding what's going to happen next with the Magic, in a column posted at NBA.com on Wednesday morning.

But Van Gundy's demanding, relentless style soon became an issue for Howard and other players. General manager Otis Smith told Van Gundy he had to ease up and be more positive, and Van Gundy made a great effort to do so the last couple of years. But Orlando has not been able to get back near the top, losing in the first round each of the last two seasons.

The Magic traditionally take time after the season to make major decisions. Smith does not conduct the postseason "exit interviews" with players that most teams have, figuring everyone knows what happened during the year and needs time away from one another to decompress.

It'd be pretty unfortunate if Van Gundy were run out of the building just because the players don't like his style, but when teams are paying quite a bit more in salary to those on the court rather than the guys on the sideline directing them on what to do, it makes sense that ownership's loyalty doesn't always stay with the head coach.

Considering some of the antics around Dwight Howard this season, however, there are probably quite a few people on Team Van Gundy in this situation. After a second consecutive exit in the first round of the playoffs, though, it's not hard to see both sides of the coin.

For a fan's perspective on the Pacers and Magic, check out Indy Cornrows and Orlando Pinstriped Post. For complete coverage of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

Pacers Vs. Magic, NBA Playoffs 2012 Game 5: Final Score, Indiana Advances With 105-87 Win

Jameer Nelson did his best to try to keep the Orlando Magic in the NBA Playoffs for at least one more game in the first three quarters of their game against the Indiana Pacers, but in the fourth quarter, his offense dried up. As his offense dried up, so did the rest of the Magic's, and their defense wasn't any better. A close game through three quarters turned into a blowout in the fourth quarter, as the Pacers won 105-87 to win the series 4-1.

The Pacers exploded for 36 points in the fourth quarter, with Darren Collison turning in an absolutely dominating period of play. He finished the night with 19 points on 9-10 shooting. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 25 points, while all Pacers starters but Paul George finished the game scoring in double figures.

Orlando was never expected to beat the Pacers without Dwight Howard, but the way in which they lost the series wasn't a good look. Allowing 36 points in your last quarter in the playoffs is just a terrible way to go out.

For more on the Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows and SB Nation Indiana. For more on the Magic, head over to Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.

PHOTO: Larry Bird Almost Smiles After Pacers Advance To Second Round

Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird is known for being completely expressionless, but in the closing moments of his team's win over the Orlando Magic to advance to the second round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, he came oh so close to breaking his poker face.

Almost, Larry! Just show a little more teeth!

Instead, Bird went right back to frowning again. Here he is after the buzzer sounded.

Pacers Vs. Magic, NBA Playoffs 2012: Glen Davis' Eventful Final 2 Seconds

The Indiana Pacers edged the Orlando Magic in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in their 2012 NBA Playoffs first-round series, and all that happened only after Magic forward Glen Davis missed a turnaround jumper at the buzzer that would have tied the game in overtime. But that's not all that happened to Davis in the final series of the game. Here's a complete recap of Davis' final two seconds.

SEQUENCE 1: Davis is benched for the Magic's final play and is not happy about it.

SEQUENCE 2: The Pacers defend the Magic's play well, and Orlando calls a timeout. Coach Stan Van Gundy reconsiders and puts Davis back in the game. Davis attempts, and misses, this game-tying shot.

SEQUENCE 3: Davis tries to get as much separation as possible on his fadeaway, and loses balance, falling all the way into the Magic bench.

He's pretty lucky he fell right into a chair. Otherwise ... yeah.

For more on tonight's NBA action, stick with this StoryStream. For a fan's perspective on the Pacers and Magic, check out Indy Cornrows and Orlando Pinstriped Post. For complete coverage of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

Magic Vs. Pacers, NBA Playoffs 2012 Game 4 Final Score: Indiana Survives 101-99

Indiana held on through overtime to beat the Orlando Magic 101-99 in Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead and battling back after the Magic's agressive 17-point second-half comeback.

Pacers forward David West led all scorers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Richardson and Glen Davis combined for 49 points for Orlando. Indiana's second point lead was closed when Jameer Nelson hit a three-point play on a layup and foul by the Pacers' Roy Hibbert, his sixth of the game.

The Pacers started the overtime period with a 5-0 run thanks to two quick David West buckets, but Orlando would come back to tie the game twice, thanks to a three-pointer from Richardson. A foul on Jameer Nelson with 2.2 seconds left in a 99-99 game gave the Pacers the win on a pair of George Hill free throws.

For more on tonight's NBA action, stick with this StoryStream. For a fan's perspective on the Pacers and Magic, check out Indy Cornrows and Orlando Pinstriped Post. For complete coverage of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

NBA Playoffs 2012, Magic Vs. Pacers Game 4: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Magic without Dwight Howard are offensively challenged. Can they even up the series in Game 4?

NBA Playoffs 2012, Magic Vs. Pacers Game 3: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Orlando Magic will attempt to get back on top in their opening-round NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. The Pacers will have home-court advantage.

NBA Playoffs, Pacers Vs. Magic: Indiana Fans Breathe Sigh Of Relief After Game 2 Victory

The Indiana Pacers picked up a much-needed win against the Orlando Magic on Monday night to even their seven-game series at one apiece. It was expected the Pacers would have their way with the Magic in their first round NBA Playoffs series, considering Orlando's missing Dwight Howard, but that obviously wasn't the case in the opening game.

It makes sense, then, that our friends over at Indy Cornrows didn't exactly act with elation when their team claimed the Game 2 victory. Instead, they look forward to the rest of the series:

It was hard to do anything but release a big sigh of relief as the clock hit 0:00 with the Pacers 93-78 winners. The unfortunate outcome of Game 1 needed to be completely behind Indiana, and with the way they won and did it convincingly, they appear to have done just that. Indiana will travel to Orlando to play Games 3 & 4 with the first of the two taking place Wednesday night. Indiana may not be in a must-win situation for Game 3, but they still need to take care of business and wrestle home court back from the Magic.

The recap at Indy Cornrows was quite in-depth, by the way, showing once again why SB Nation's collection of blogs is the best in the business. Honestly, where else can one read about jump ball differential?

In regards to length, quite possibly the biggest advantage to the Pacers has been in jump balls. It seems an extra-ordinate amount of jump balls have been whistled in this series, a testament to the hustle of both teams. The good news? The Pacers have come out winners of all but one jump ball in both games, which has helped Indiana to gain extra possessions or save current ones.

For more on tonight's NBA action, stick with this storystream. For a fan's perspective on the Pacers and Magic, check out Indy Cornrows and Orlando Pinstriped Post.

Pacers Vs. Magic, NBA Playoffs 2012 Game 2, Final Score: Pacers Bounce Back Against Magic with 93-78 win

Indiana manhandled Orlando in the third quarter to even up the series at 1-1 with a 15-point win, with George Hill, Danny Granger, and David West notching 18 apiece.

Pacers fans might have been worried after ugly offensive execution in the first game saw Indiana put up just 77 in a four-point loss, but their defense was strong enough to return the favor by holding an offensively challenged Orlando team to 78. Indiana struggled to shoot the ball - going 2-for-20 from deep - but strong offensive rebounding and efficient performances from Hill and Paul George were enough to make the victory comfortable.

Insta-reax from our team blogs:

Orlando got the split it wanted at least.

— Evan Dunlap (@BQRMagic) May 1, 2012

George Hill gave 'em that Broad Ripple stroke for 3. Nice to see it return for Game 2.

— Tom Lewis (@IndyCornrows) May 1, 2012

For more on tonight's NBA action, stick with this storystream. For a fan's perspective on the Pacers and Magic, check out Indy Cornrows and Orlando Pinstriped Post.

NBA Playoffs 2012, Magic Vs. Pacers Final Score: Orlando Steals Game 1, 81-77

The Indiana Pacers were supposed to roll past the Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. But after going cold late in Game 1 and falling, 81-77, to Orlando, the Pacers find themselves in a hole.

The Magic held the Pacers scoreless for the final 4:05 of the fourth quarter, and allowed just one made basket in the final 7:54 of play, while closing on a 11-0 run. Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson tied for the Orlando lead in points, with 17 each; Richardson made two threes during that run, and Nelson had four points in the fourth quarter.

But this game was about the Pacers' collapse, and about the struggles Indiana's star players dealt with from the field. Danny Granger's 17 points came on 7-for-20 shooting; Paul George made 4-of-11 from the floor. Roy Hibbert flirted with a triple-double -- and the NBA playoff record for blocked shots in a game -- but finished with eight points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks.

David West had 19 points to lead Indiana. Game 2 in the series will be played on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

For more on the Orlando Magic, visit SB Nation's Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more on the Indiana Pacers, visit SB Nation's Pacers blog Indy Cornrows and SB Nation Indiana. For more on the 2012 NBA Playoffs check out SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

PROJECTION: Pacers Should Have Little Trouble With Magic

2012 NBA Playoffs Schedule, Pacers Vs. Magic: Anti-Glamour Series Begins Saturday

Already sick of hearing about the Heat vs. the Knicks? Tired of Kobe Bryant talk? Do we have the series for you! The Indiana Pacers will meet the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs. It's a shame that there isn't more systemic love for the Pacers, who are a really strong team. Understandably, the Magic lost their postseason luster when Dwight Howard went under the knife. It's no surprise that this is the only first-round series with two games scheduled for NBA TV.

Here's the series schedule as released by the NBA. All times are Eastern.

Game 1 - Sat., April 28 at Indiana, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 - Mon., April 30 at Indiana, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3 - Wed., May 2 at Orlando, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 4 - Sat., May 5 at Orlando, 2 p.m., ESPN
Game 5 - Tue., May 8 at Indiana
Game 6 - Fri., May 11 at Orlando
Game 7 - Sun., May 13 at Indiana

For more on the Pacers, visit Indy Cornrows and SB Nation Indiana.

For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post.